Helen Lu

Helen Lu is an Associate Professor of Accounting and AI at Vlerick Business School and a Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland (FinTech Lead for the Master's in Business Analytics). She holds a PhD in Finance from Massey University, an MBA from London Business School, a Master's in Economics (Macroeconomics) from Peking University, and a Bachelor's in Computer Science Engineering from Northern Jiaotong University. Her research focuses on integrating AI into accounting and finance, including valuation, return predictability, ESG disclosure, executive succession, and FinTech disruptions.

Before academia, Lu worked in investment banking at Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank, specializing in capital raising and cross-border M&A in Asia-Pacific. Her work bridges academic research and industry practice, particularly in leveraging AI to solve complex financial and accounting challenges. She has published in top journals like the Journal of Accounting Research, Journal of Banking and Finance, and Journal of International Money and Finance.

Her recent publications emphasize AI-driven valuation methods, ESG disclosure analysis, and the interplay between executive transitions and financial reporting. Her articles often highlight the application of machine learning to traditional finance problems, such as tail risk assessment and anomaly strategy correlations.

Lu’s expertise spans multiple domains, with a focus on transforming data-driven technologies into actionable insights for financial decision-making. She actively contributes to academic discourse on sustainability metrics, particularly green asset valuation and corporate governance during crises.